Janina Jeff facts for kids

Janina M. Jeff (pronounced juh-NEE-nuh), born on September 10, 1985, is a scientist from the United States. She is a geneticist and works as a senior scientist at a company called Illumina. Janina Jeff is very interested in finding out how small changes in our genes can cause different diseases in different groups of people. She also loves to share science with others. She was the first African American person to get a PhD in Human Genetics from Vanderbilt University.

Janina Jeff is also the host and producer of a podcast called In Those Genes. This podcast connects the science of genetics with African American identity and Black culture. In 2020, she won an Advocacy Award from the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). She also won the first-ever Spotify Sound-Up Bootcamp in 2018.

On her podcast, Janina Jeff calls herself a "geneti-SIS" and a storyteller. She shares her own stories and her scientific knowledge with her listeners. She says that when she was young, she asked many big questions. She used to think not knowing an answer was a problem, but now she sees it as a chance to learn. Janina Jeff talks about how studying the human genome (all our genes) can help create new ways to treat diseases. She especially focuses on groups of people who have not been included much in genetics research, like African American communities.

Early life and school

Janina Jeff grew up in New Orleans. She went to McDonogh 35 Senior High School. In 2007, she earned her bachelor's degree in Biology from Spelman College. While at Spelman, she was a RISE Scholar, which helps students do science research.

Later, she continued her studies at Vanderbilt University. She earned a master's degree in applied statistics in 2011. In 2012, she received her Doctorate (PhD) in human genetics. She was the first African American to get a PhD in Human Genetics from Vanderbilt University. After her PhD, she did more training at Vanderbilt University and at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Science work and career

Janina Jeff works as a Senior Bioinformatics scientist at Illumina. There, she helps create computer systems that analyze genetic information. Her research has focused on how genes vary in different groups of people. She also studies how genes can increase the risk of common diseases.

Sharing science with others

In Those Genes Podcast

In Those Genes is a podcast that uses hip-hop music as inspiration. Janina Jeff is the host and producer of this show. The podcast explores genetics and helps uncover the history of African Americans through the lens of Black culture.

In 2018, Janina Jeff won the first Spotify Sound Up Bootcamp. This award gave her $10,000 to help start her podcast. One episode, "Skinfolk, Kinfolk," was named one of the 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2020 by IndieWire. Another episode, "Dat Rona," won the 2020 Radio Impact award from the Third Coast/ Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition.

Through her podcast, Janina Jeff uses genetics to help people understand the past and future of African Americans. For example, in one episode, "She Get It From Her Moma," she looked into old beliefs about how traits are passed down in the Black community.

kinkofa Initiative

Janina Jeff also works with an organization called kinkofa (KIN*koh*fah). Its name means "go get yo' kin" and helps African Americans discover their family history. The founders, Jourdan Brunson and Tameshia Rudd-Ridge, were inspired by an old Adinkra saying called 'sankofa'. This saying comes from the Akan people in present-day Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Sankofa encourages people to learn from their past to move forward.

kinkofa is an online platform that helps African Americans and other people of African descent save their history. It helps them find, record, and keep their unique family stories. kinkofa works with other groups to share stories that honor and improve understanding of African Americans' contributions to history.

kinkofa offers other tools too. One is called Rememory, which is a free platform to record family stories. These recordings can be done in person or online. Historians are available to help start interesting conversations. Once a family story, recipe, or other memory is recorded, it is saved online for future family members to watch. There is also a Black cemeteries app. This app helps African Americans share information about historic burial grounds. Many of these cemeteries have been forgotten, making it hard for families to find their ancestors' resting places. Cemeteries provide important family tree information, so keeping them safe is very important.

Awards and honors

• 2020 American Society of Human Genetics Advocacy Award for her podcast. She was the first African American and the youngest person to receive this award.
• 2020 Radio Impact award from the Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition.
• 2018 Spotify Sound Up Bootcamp.
• 2006 National Human Genome Research Institute Scholar.